Telemedicine: Health Story
Aired on Lifetime Television
Sunday, October 28 and December 16, 2007
Show 424
No matter how advanced medicine becomes, nothing can replace the personal touch of a doctor or a nurse, someone who cares. But technology can still work to everyone's advantage—video cameras in patients' rooms are helping save lives and comfort patients. "I'm not afraid because I know somebody's watching me," says 77-year-old patient Marta Saller. Nurse Kim Nigro is miles away watching via a remote camera and a bank of computer screens showing Marta's vital signs. She watches dozens of patients in what's called e-ICU. "We have the advantage on this end in that we can step back and look at the big picture," says Kim. Plus, not only do the nurses in the e-ICU watch patients, they work hand-in-hand with the bedside crew of doctors and nurses at the hospital where the patient is being cared for—meaning more interaction, attention, and watchful eyes, helping patients feel comforted knowing they're not alone. E-ICUs are saving lives and the numbers are impressive—ICUs monitored electronically are seeing a 27 percent reduction in patient deaths.